Do you believe in Heaven?

Nala

I was going to post this in the Religion section but I felt the people in AH would be a better representation of the general public than the people in the Religion section.

Basically the idea of dying frightens the life out of me (no pun intended) and my only consolation is that maybe there is such thing as Heaven after all!
I do try and tell myself death is just one long sleep but I can't get my head around never waking up again.

monkeyfudge

Not sure

Personally I'm looking forward to a nice bit of non-existence...

Ever lasting life... now that's scary!

Black Swan

No

Heaven? It's not a place, but rather a state of mind and a feeling. For me? Being in love. Now, that's heaven!

Terry

Not sure

I believe in god, based upon an eternal transcendant being, who is the creator of all things. And I'm not talking about Elvis.

indough

monkeyfudge wrote:

Personally I'm looking forward to a nice bit of non-existence...

Ever lasting life... now that's scary!

+1

I actually prefer sleeping to being awake, so i've no problem at all with the concept of permanent sleep

Nala

I just can't imagine not being, I mean at least when I'm asleep I'm dreaming, regardless of how ridiculous my dreams are!!! I just hope I will have accepted our universal fate by the time it happens to me.

The thing that frightens me the most is there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Money troubles- there are loans. Boy troubles- there are more boys. But I cannot escape from death.

indough

Once had a thought that freaked me out, what if when we die we're still conscious but don't go anywhere (heaven, hell), and we can't move or anything? Ridiculous I know but I wasn't exactly in a sober state of mind when I thought it up

estebancambias

No

Ah, the results so far, indicate what I have always thought, Atheists are nothing more than mindless drones, who do not possess the ability to think 'outside the box' so they use the views of retarded scientists to form their beliefs.

indough

estebancambias wrote:

Ah, the results so far, indicate what I have always thought, Atheists are nothing more than mindless drones, who do not possess the ability to think 'outside the box' so they use the views of retarded scientists to form their beliefs.

How do the results suggest that? I'm not having a pop at you mate but thats a pretty silly thing to say. You have your beliefs, they have theirs. It doesn't make them mindless drones

estebancambias

No

Let me rephrase, they are no more open-minded or informed than the average church goer, who they deem to be sheep.

The Bollox

Not sure

estebancambias wrote:

Ah, the results so far, indicate what I have always thought, Atheists are nothing more than mindless drones, who do not possess the ability to think 'outside the box' so they use the views of retarded scientists to form their beliefs.

I'm not an athiest and I can think outside the box when I need / want to, but the concept of heaven is just not possible IMHO. every religeon which depicts an afterlife describes one where everyone is happy all the time and where nothing goes wrong. this is impossible, you need things to go wrong in order to be happy. look at it this way: if you succedded at absolutly everything you tried, no matter how half assed your attempt was where would the fun be? on paper it would be great: you always can win the lotto, so you have unlimited money; you always hook up with the prize girl and so forth. However eventually all this will be done by you and everything you could try will become boring.

as I said I am not an athiest, I do believe in a 'God', for want of a better term but I don't believe in heaven, or hell for that matter. these are just inventions to make people stay on the straight and narrow or else face an eternity of damnation. I would love it if we got re-incarnated after we die, only we can't remember anything from out past lives. that is my idea of 'heaven'

estebancambias

No

Great point in the first paragraph. Like really amazing.

indough

I think it is a good point really. I hate the idea of reincarnation though. Unless you get to pick to be your favourite animal or something

Nala

estebancambias wrote:

Ah, the results so far, indicate what I have always thought, Atheists are nothing more than mindless drones, who do not possess the ability to think 'outside the box' so they use the views of retarded scientists to form their beliefs.

Uh, well I am not an Atheist but am not a full on believer either but believe me I am doing my best to think outside the box. As for scientists being retarded, I graduated with my biology degree a week ago but haven't noticed myself becoming mentally handicapped just yet.

You seem to have a fondness for Atheist-bashing but please make your own thread to do so, I made this thread because I am afraid of death and would like to know other people's views on what happens after we die. If anyone is a mindless drone it's a person who blindly follows what the Bible says without giving it any question and then applauds him/herself for their "faith". I think you are a much truer believer in your religion if you have questioned it, even doubted it, looked at different viewpoints and decided yourself that your religion was right in the first place.

The Bollox

Not sure

estebancambias wrote:

Great point in the first paragraph. Like really amazing.

the sarcasometer went off the scale on this one

Wossack

Im undecided at the moment

all will be revealed in time I guess

kraggy

Not sure

estebancambias wrote:

Ah, the results so far, indicate what I have always thought, Atheists are nothing more than mindless drones, who do not possess the ability to think 'outside the box' so they use the views of retarded scientists to form their beliefs.

And where exactly is the proof that Heaven or God do indeed exist?

At least scientists work on the basis of fact.

And how exactly is an atheist a mindless drone for not believing in something that has never been proven to exist? If anything, it's the believers who should be considered the "mindless drones" for accepting the word of others (i.e. The Church) about God or Heaven existing.

But i don't consider them as such, as they, like me or you, are entitled to their own beliefs, no matter how outrageous they may seem to others.

zuutroy

Don't know.....can't know, not gonna ruin this part by worrying about it.

jay_haych

No

of course i believe in heaven

Jesus Wept

Not sure

estebancambias wrote:

Ah, the results so far, indicate what I have always thought, Atheists are nothing more than mindless drones, who do not possess the ability to think 'outside the box' so they use the views of retarded scientists to form their beliefs.

lol. Just lol.

You write such drivel!

Beruthiel

Not sure

estebancambias wrote:

Ah, the results so far, indicate what I have always thought, Atheists are nothing more than mindless drones, who do not possess the ability to think 'outside the box' so they use the views of retarded scientists to form their beliefs.

After your thread in the Atheist Forum, the irony of the above statement more than amuses me.

I do not believe in god, heaven, santa, the tooth fairy or the flying spaghetti monster.

Rb

Nala wrote:

I just can't imagine not being, I mean at least when I'm asleep I'm dreaming, regardless of how ridiculous my dreams are!!! I just hope I will have accepted our universal fate by the time it happens to me.

The thing that frightens me the most is there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Money troubles- there are loans. Boy troubles- there are more boys. But I cannot escape from death.

Do what I'm going to do - get cryogenically frozen.

Jesus Wept

Not sure

Beruthiel wrote:

I do not believe in god, heaven, santa, the tooth fairy or the flying spaghetti monster.

Woah woah woah, let's not go overboard here.

Ciaran500

Not sure

estebancambias wrote:

Ah, the results so far, indicate what I have always thought, Atheists are nothing more than mindless drones, who do not possess the ability to think 'outside the box' so they use the views of retarded scientists to form their beliefs.

What is your problem with atheists?

Every post you mention them you're completely close minded, unfounded and unnecessarily aggressive.Have they done something against you or are you just one of these people who believe atheists have no morals and are destroying society :rolleyes:

Hagar

Not sure

No I don't believe in a heaven but if this life is anything to go on there is definitely a Hell.

Raiser

Not sure

I couldn't stand Heaven - as far as I've managed to determine during my 32 years of earthly existence, as I sit about idly scratching my soul, Heaven is only populated by the below types of odious people:

pious,
judgmental,
intolerant,
prejudiced,
holier-than-thou,
small-minded,
homophobic,
church-going,
misogynistic,
gossiping,
bible-bashing,
child-abusing,
hate-mongering,
faith-touting,
self-righteous,
/ Could go on indefinitely


.........So does that mean that theres actually two Hells ? ? ? ?

seamus

The Bollox wrote:

I'm not an athiest and I can think outside the box when I need / want to, but the concept of heaven is just not possible IMHO. every religeon which depicts an afterlife describes one where everyone is happy all the time and where nothing goes wrong. this is impossible, you need things to go wrong in order to be happy. look at it this way: if you succedded at absolutly everything you tried, no matter how half assed your attempt was where would the fun be? on paper it would be great: you always can win the lotto, so you have unlimited money; you always hook up with the prize girl and so forth. However eventually all this will be done by you and everything you could try will become boring.

Well there are much more "considered" theories on it which don't rely on worldy pleasures as a source of "heaven". Look at one belief for example, believes that you get 70 virgins when you die. What good is that? After 35 days, all you're left with is 70 women who want to get married and won't give you a blowjob.
If you think of heaven as more of a "next plane of existence", than just another universe, then it quickly becomes clear that everything we associate with joy, sorrow, pain, happiness, etc, here in our current lives becomes completely meaningless. Of course, it's very difficult to get people to imagine this kind of existence, which is why the white fluffy clouds and nekkid women are used.

Personally, I don't know. The idea of my existence just ending forever doesn't sit comfortable with me, even though my logical brain tells me it's the most likely outcome. I think it's probably a matter of me just not being willing to leave just yet, regardless of what comes after. I like it here . Perhaps after 70 or 80 years you come to more of an accepting, "I've had a good run, let's see if anything comes afterwards" attitude.

Not sure

I believe in rebirth.
I think non-existence wouldn't be a bad thing

the_syco

No

indough wrote:

I actually prefer sleeping to being awake, so i've no problem at all with the concept of permanent sleep

How can one enjoy sleeping, if they never wake?

=-=

I'm more of a Valhalla, kill, kill, drink, eat, f**k, sleep, pillage, kill, kill, drink... man myself.

The Bollox wrote:

I'm not an athiest and I can think outside the box when I need / want to, but the concept of heaven is just not possible IMHO. every religeon which depicts an afterlife describes one where everyone is happy all the time and where nothing goes wrong. this is impossible, you need things to go wrong in order to be happy. look at it this way: if you succedded at absolutly everything you tried, no matter how half assed your attempt was where would the fun be? on paper it would be great: you always can win the lotto, so you have unlimited money; you always hook up with the prize girl and so forth. However eventually all this will be done by you and everything you could try will become boring.

Well, one mans heaven, is another mans hell. Imagine dying over and over again, for ever? That be hell, wouldn't it? But one day you may win. You fight the best, for otherwise its not a "good" fight. Killing the weak is killing the weak, and not a fight, as it were. So, you fight day in and day out, against the best, untill one day, you become better, and you become the king, you kill for a while, but then someone you've killed 2,000 times rises up and kills you.

humanji

Not sure

Raiser wrote:

I couldn't stand Heaven - as far as I've managed to determine during my 32 years of earthly existence, as I sit about idly scratching my soul, Heaven is only populated by the below types of odious people:

pious,
judgmental,
intolerant,
prejudiced,
holier-than-thou,
small-minded,
homophobic,
church-going,
misogynistic,
gossiping,
bible-bashing,
child-abusing,
hate-mongering,
faith-touting,
self-righteous,
/ Could go on indefinitely


.........So does that mean that theres actually two Hells ? ? ? ?

Well, going by the bible, and it's various condition on getting into heaven, the only people who made it there are God and Jesus. Imagine eternity with only your dad as company!

princess-lala

No

I have to believe Im going somewhere, if I didnt believe in anything I would be afraid of dying

Plug

Not sure

Nala wrote:

I was going to post this in the Religion section but I felt the people in AH would be a better representation of the general public than the people in the Religion section.

Basically the idea of dying frightens the life out of me (no pun intended) and my only consolation is that maybe there is such thing as Heaven after all!
I do try and tell myself death is just one long sleep but I can't get my head around never waking up again.

What do you call a black angel?

a bat.

Nope heaven dosen't exist kids.

mickoneill30

Not sure

princess-lala wrote:

I have to believe Im going somewhere, if I didnt believe in anything I would be afraid of dying

Well if you believe in heaven there's also hell. Whats the criteria for getting into hell these days?

I've broken a couple of the commandments and I'm guilty of most of the 7 deadly sins.

Wacker

Not sure

Nala wrote:

I just can't imagine not being, I mean at least when I'm asleep I'm dreaming, regardless of how ridiculous my dreams are!!! I just hope I will have accepted our universal fate by the time it happens to me.

The thing that frightens me the most is there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Money troubles- there are loans. Boy troubles- there are more boys. But I cannot escape from death.

As you said, you can't do anything to prevent death, so your only choice is to reconcile yourself to it. Think of it this way; I read a quote by Oscar Wilde(I think, feel free to correct me) that went something like: "Why would I be scared of dying? I was dead for billions of years before I was born and it didn't do me any harm."

If you can accept that there was a time when you didn't exist (which is hardly controversial), I don't see why you need fear not-existing again.

Plus, an afterlife (our at least an afterlife that we have to earn our place in) removes our freedom. I personally like the idea that the decisions I make are based on reason, adherence to laws that are based on reason. I'm not looking for payback in the afterlife when I give blood or do some other act of decency, I'm just trying to do a decent thing for it's own sake, and with the unlikely goal of inspiring others.

beans

No

I personally believe that the notion of Heaven corresponds with your body breaking down and returning to Earth. It's where you began, and where you end up, and wraps the notion of re-encarnation up nicely.

My great-great-great-great-grandmother is now part of a slab of sediment on the floor of the Atlantic, for example. No angels and trumpets, but she's happy enough.

I don't subscribe to the Athiest/sheep notion, you can't run around tarring groups like that - at the risk of looking like someone who speaks before they've activated their brain. Everyone has to believe in something, it's how they arrive at whatever belief they hold that matters.

If you can accept that there was a time when you didn't exist (which is hardly controversial), I don't see why you need fear not-existing again.

It also spurs one into enjoying this brief window of activity! Best not to squander what is essentially a short period of activity in a wider band of non-being

Stephen

Not sure

I don't believe in god, so I don't believe in heaven. Estebancambias, how's the weather up there on the high moral ground? :rolleyes:

Rob_l

Not sure

mickoneill30 wrote:

Well if you believe in heaven there's also hell. Whats the criteria for getting into hell these days?

I've broken a couple of the commandments and I'm guilty of most of the 7 deadly sins.

I thought pope johnnie paulie abolished hell

mickoneill30

Not sure

Rob_l wrote:

I thought pope johnnie paulie abolished hell

Ah good. Hope he doesn't abolish heaven too.

BKtje

Not sure

Don't believe in heaven but that doesn't mean that i won't some day.

Highly unlikely though.

Rob_l

Not sure

B-K-DzR wrote:

Don't believe in heaven but that doesn't mean that i won't some day.

Highly unlikely though.

"There are no atheists in foxholes"


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheists_in_foxholes


However Im not in a foxhole and refuse to accept heaven
come on then god I'll take you on!

Raiser

Not sure

humanji wrote:

Well, going by the bible, and it's various condition on getting into heaven, the only people who made it there are God and Jesus. Imagine eternity with only your dad as company!

Given that it was a virgin birth I'd say God would just be moaning on all day, giving about over never having got his leg over..........

..........Poor Jesus would probably be bored witless, nostalgically looking back on the crucification as a high point in his life [either that or St. Ignatius's 97th letter to the Babblemoanians - which had everything bar a car chase and scenes of nudity/drug use]

keen

Not sure

I don't believe in heaven as in the conventional meaning of one big place were everybody who behaves themselfs down here go.

I'd like to believe in some sort of afterlife but I can't begin to imagine what it would be like or even if there is one as there is so many possibilities.

I really should of voted not sure.

Wacker

Not sure

Rob_l wrote:

"There are no atheists in foxholes"

That whole arguement is lame, and it is so easy to make a theist look ludiscrous if they use it on you. Just say "So, you're telling me that if I were so afraid that I wasn't even able to think, I'd think like you?"
Reason, not emotion, is the key to understanding and knowledge.

layke

Not sure

Tis a load of bollocks really. God, Heaven, Afterlife. I really hope there's none of that crap. If there is though, it means i'm probably going to hell along with the vast majority of you. If that's the case Satan is going to have one kick ass Army backing him up.

MrJoeSoap

Not sure

It's no more bizarre than that stuff we learned in the seminary. Heaven and hell and everlasting life, you're not meant to take it seriously.

princess-lala wrote:

I have to believe Im going somewhere, if I didnt believe in anything I would be afraid of dying

Surely if you believe you aren't going anywhere you'll live your life more. Obviously death is scary but deliberately fooling yourself into believing is absurd.

jos28

Like Keen, I don't believe in the conventional concept of heaven. I definitely don't believe in the notion of God, the all powerful, everloving being that we were taught in school. I always felt that when you died, that was it - Game over ! My opinion changed entirely after the death of my beloved Dad. I was with him when he died and despite seeing him physically die, I have always felt him near me. I know this might sound crazy but it is my personal experience. I just feel that he is hanging around his family. It's hard to describe but I have discussed this with friends who have lost loved ones and many of them feel the same way. It's not a bad feeling, on the contrary its comforting, as if you have a protector watching out for you. I really believe that when you die your spirit lives on somewhere. Not too sure where though !

Tazzle

Not sure

jos28 wrote:

Like Keen, I don't believe in the conventional concept of heaven. I definitely don't believe in the notion of God, the all powerful, everloving being that we were taught in school. I always felt that when you died, that was it - Game over ! My opinion changed entirely after the death of my beloved Dad. I was with him when he died and despite seeing him physically die, I have always felt him near me. I know this might sound crazy but it is my personal experience. I just feel that he is hanging around his family. It's hard to describe but I have discussed this with friends who have lost loved ones and many of them feel the same way. It's not a bad feeling, on the contrary its comforting, as if you have a protector watching out for you. I really believe that when you die your spirit lives on somewhere. Not too sure where though !

Just because someone dies doesn't mean the way they made you feel has died, or the strength that you got from them is gone. This is what makes us human, the memories and history we create and pass on to everyone around us. And you're right their spirit does live on, it lives on in the lives they touched, the people who cared for them and the mark they left on the world. At the end of the day this is what, I think anyway, should link anybody of any religion or theology. You are what you make of yourself, and how you will exist after your death is based upon this.

For the record I am an athiest.

Dave!

Not sure

No I don't believe in any gods or afterlife.

The idea of heaven fits in nicely with human psychology: we are afraid of death, so we replace it with a concept of everlasting life. How convenient! It almost makes it true, right?!

There are afterlives in almost every religion I can think of.

GhostInTheRuins

Not sure

Raiser wrote:

..........Poor Jesus would probably be bored witless, nostalgically looking back on the crucification as a high point in his life [either that or St. Ignatius's 97th letter to the Babblemoanians - which had everything bar a car chase and scenes of nudity/drug use]

Haha

Maple

No

I don't believe in heaven per se, as in angels on clouds and all that. But yes I would like to believe that there is something after this life and that its one big party.

rainbow kirby

Not sure

I don't believe in heaven at all. Been an atheist for a long time, it's a concept that makes no sense to me.